Silver-tongued
by Porkchop Sandwiches
Summary: Melina was essentially forced into the most twisted, voyeuristic relationship she could imagine. She was thinking about Hercules all the time. And she blamed Hermes. For a god so skilled with communication, he was a horrible father. Hercules/OC
1. Chapter 1

There were six days, four hours, and seventeen minutes until the cadets came back to the academy from their December break, and Melina was more than a little embarrassed by how excited that made her. Standing behind the bar in Kora's, she refilled some grumpy bearded guy's water cup as he gnawed on a chunk of meat she couldn't and didn't want to identify. She idly imagined him choking to death before realizing that wasn't an appropriate thought. And even though she didn't know this guy's name, she didn't want him keeling over in front of her. She'd been around enough dead people for a life time.

Patting his large hairy hand, she said, "Take it easy there. You don't want to swallow your fork."

She took a tray of turkey legs from the cook and made her way toward a crowded table of more burly bearded men. It would have been hard weaving through the constantly buzzing restaurant if it weren't her second week working there. Being balanced and surefooted definitely helped too.

"Melina, can you get some extra spoons to table fifteen?" Kora was artfully balancing two arms of dirty dishes. She smiled. "I can't believe I just said table fifteen. I mean, before you got here, busy days meant we'd have maybe seven or eight tops. And that was with the cadets here."

Melina nodded before pushing her way back to the kitchen for Kora's requested utensils. Sorting through knives and spoons, she nibbled on the inside of her cheek and genuinely considered telling Kora everything. She felt like she owed Kora the information. Kora had given her a job and let her live in her house, taken her in on that night when Kora had found her slumped, singed, and sleep-deprived at the front door. The story Melina had told Kora then was only partially true: being born in Athens, her mother dying, going through hardship and Hades to find a new life. As Kora generously handed her a glass of water and a blanket, Melina had intentionally left out details like she'd lived in Olympus for half a year after her mother passed away, that figurative Hades she mentioned was actually the literal underworld where she'd been transporting souls for months, and Hermes was her dad. Melina was fully aware that those parts of her life were hard to take in. She couldn't even imagine trying to explain how she'd sought out Kora's, left a perfectly good home Hermes had provided for her in Athens, and how she'd been counting down the days to meet a particular demigod. He didn't know her, but she'd spent a good six months watching him.

Shaking her head, she wished it didn't sound so creepy. She attended to tables fifteen, eleven, and four while chatting with customers and collecting bills. It was nice to talk to people who weren't on their way to Tartarus or the Fields of Punishment, and who weren't, you know, dead. Spending so much time in the underworld really took a physical and mental toll on someone who was half mortal. But, in a weird way, it was almost better than her life in Olympus where she was degraded from the good luck charm and smooth-tongued assistant for her mother's profitable jewelry stand in Athens into a lonely, listless, mostly unwilling peeping Tom. She blamed her dad.

With the customers finally clearing out for the night, Melina started wiping down tables. She wished she could wipe the slate of her past, because if anyone ever got the whole thing down in chalk, she'd probably never have any friends again. Her mom got knocked up by a crafty god who wore winged shoes and left her before Melina was born. She spent the first nineteen years of her life in Athens with a mother she loved and in a city that was friendly to people who made enough drachma. She'd had a couple of friends, several boyfriends, and liked to spend her time selling valuables in the market and meeting new people. Relaying messages and talking to people was a big part of who Hermes was, and one of his traits that was passed down to her. She was also very persuasive with her words, a fast runner, and in seemingly random areas of her life, a magnet for good luck. Her mom told her about her dad from an early age, and it hurt that he only visited on her birthday. On her nineteenth, he'd given her a spare pair of his winged shoes, which she used for her last job and her long trip to Kora's. She received the enchanted sneakers just a few days before her mother came down with a sudden severe illness. She died a week later.

"You feeling alright?" Kora said. She was stacking the day's earnings on the counter. "I don't think I've heard you this quiet since you stumbled in here."

"Yeah, I'm just really tired for some reason."

"Well, you better get your energy up because in less than a week this place in going to be swarming with testosterone-filled warriors-in-training."

Melina fiddled with the rag in her hands. "Are we almost ready to close up?"

Kora seemed to go over some numbers in her head, quirking her mouth to side. She shook her head, but looked pleased. "If we keep raking in this much business, you'll have to stay on forever. And, yeah, we can walk over to my place in just a couple of minutes. Let me grab my purse."

Once they'd walked the twenty minutes it took to get to Kora's house, Melina said goodnight and went straight to her bed in the guest room Kora was letting her have. Tugging off the brown boots her mom had given to her as a spontaneous gift, she thought about those days after her mother passed. In less than twenty-seven hours of the funeral, Hermes appeared in his usual array of blue sparks and static. He made some spiel about how she was his favorite child, which she found more than a little unbelievable considering she knew she had plenty of half-siblings. Regardless, he offered her a job. She would be his personal assistant in transporting souls to the underworld. Without any other living family, the idea didn't sound completely horrible, but it was hard for her to trust a god known for doing anything to get his way. She said no. He wasn't very understanding.

Melina pulled the cover over herself and closed her eyes. Olympus was beautiful really. The architecture was stunning, rivers and fields seemed to go on forever, and everything was bathed in this iridescent glow. But, she only experienced that Olympus briefly. She was there to be punished.

Hermes had led her into a room with no windows, only a large glass table. She could see a score of tiny images squared off in a grid, each square depicting what she initially thought were plays, maybe some sort of magical entertainment for the gods.

"Great, I have a thousand amphitheatres to keep me busy," she said. Her arms were crossed, a naïve smirk settled on her face.

Hermes shook his index finger at her, and explained that these moving pictures were of every living person in Greece. They showed the world beneath her, which she would be apart from until she was willing to work for him. He instructed that if she wanted something enlarged, she only needed to touch the surface. He'd be in to check on her every week.

At first, she slept or paced the room. But, the table seemed to draw her towards itself, and soon all she could do was stare. It was horrible. She witnessed people murdered, robbed, and worse. Her friends and most recent hotheaded boyfriend, a son of Ares, appeared to go with their lives as if they'd never met her. It wasn't until one afternoon, her eyes scanning any scene that wasn't horrifying, that she found some guy saving the Golden Hind from a pack of hunters. She tentatively tapped the screen and it double in size. He didn't take any credit for his good deed, instead keeping the Hind's location from even his friends. It didn't take her long to learn his name and who his dad was. He seemed so selfless, and caring, and hot. With only a brisk weekly conversation with Hermes, she was craving interaction. Vicariously in a way she was able to get that by watching Hercules. She'd touched the screen so often that it was almost all she saw. And it started the most twisted, voyeuristic relationship she'd ever been a part of.

Her twentieth birthday passed with little celebration. It wasn't until Hercules traveled to the underworld to help Eurydice that she finally caved. From there she worked nearly ceaselessly for four months. At the end of four months, silver streaked her dark brown hair, her skin thinned as blue veins pulsed defined plump lines, and her eyelids seemed to dry and shrink into her skull. She was becoming more and more like the dead.

Hermes gave her four months to recuperate. She actually only needed a few days to heal, which she spent on her journey to Kora's, the remnants of her illness barely visible that first night she was taken in.

Melina shifted to her left side, trying to sleep. Pressing her fingertips into the mattress, she remembered it would only be five days. She'd be able to meet him. And it terrified her thinking there was a chance he could find her completely uninteresting. It scared her even more pondering what she could do to make him change his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

It rained the remaining days, slow ceaseless drizzles that got more mud than usual on the floors. Despite the grey weather, torrents of customers surged through the place from the crack of dawn hunters at breakfast until the end of the dinner rush. Kora was continually amazed by her newly booming business, grinning as she nearly sprinted from table to table. While Melina usually had more than enough people to socialize with, opening and closing time were spent on dull things like setting up and cleaning dishes. To distract herself from food stains and napkin folding, Melina shared stories with Kora.

On a Friday morning, Kora was picking through a new shipment of apples when they started talking about past relationships. Kora's history was brief: a childhood flirtation, two more serious boyfriends, and then nearly a year or so spent single. Melina knew of Kora's pledge to Artemis, but there was no way in Tartarus Melina was going to bring it up. When it was her turn, Melina edited her list of nine boyfriends to four. She didn't want to present herself in the wrong light or dig up that part of herself that constantly wanted to be liked so much so that she used to ignore things like other people's feelings and if a guy already had a girlfriend. Wanting to at least allow Kora in through a side window of her past, Melina didn't censor that she'd shortly dated a son of Apollo and that most recent jackass relative of Ares.

"You what?" Kora said. "I can't believe someone liked Ares enough to have a kid with him."

Melina rolled her eyes at herself. "It was a giant, disastrous waste of two months. I mean he was cute, but he blew up at anyone who even, I don't know, bumped him the wrong way. I wouldn't have been with him as long as I did if we didn't have so many mutual friends."

It sounded like a shallow reason once Melina said it aloud, but it had been the truth. His friends really new all the best places to hang out, where to score enough wine for binge weekends when they'd stay up all night and wake up in the early afternoon on the beach with skin too sore and hot to touch. In retrospect, she understood they'd been a stupid group to be around, especially since most of them became cave-dwelling, saber-toothed Bacchae.

Inspecting an orange in her hand, Kora made a quiet disapproving sigh. "Well, what was the Apollo one like?"

"He was completely self-centered. When he wasn't talking about himself or catching waves, he could recite enough poetry to put even Virgil to sleep."

Kora laughed, looking as if she were going to say something just as three female customers sat down. Melina took their orders, more than happy to abandon her chore of stacking cups. They didn't have any free time to talk until they were locking up for the night.

Kora dropped the clunky set of keys inside her purse. Smirking, she said, "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

Melina froze. In less than twenty-four hours the academy break would be over. She was more than excited, delirious almost. But, she didn't understand why Kora would know that.

Kora playfully whacked Melina with the bag over her shoulder. "Don't tell me you're getting nervous about having more customers."

Melina walked a little faster, forcing a chuckle. "No. I just forgot what tomorrow was."

"Don't worry. Despite the excessive amounts of leather they wear, most of them are pretty nice. Plus, it'll be good for you to be around people your own age."

"I'm only a year younger than you," Melina said.

Kora scrunched her nose slightly. "Really, you're twenty?"

Melina ducked underneath a low branch as they took the last turn to Kora's house. "Yes. I'm almost twenty-one. How old did you think I was?"

Kora didn't say anything until she'd unlocked her door and stepped inside. She shrugged. "I don't know. I would have guessed closer to seventeen. Regardless, expect some seriously cheesy pick-up lines tomorrow."

Melina plunked herself down in one of Kora's chairs. "Why's that?"

"The two of us are the only girls these boys have in a forty mile radius, and you're cute. From what you've told me and the things I've heard about natives of Athens, I'm sure you'll be having a lot of fun soon," Kora said. She smiled and headed towards her room, stopping just before she walked down the hall. "Be careful though, I wouldn't want someone corrupting my favorites."

Melina scoffed, absentmindedly scratching her wrist. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kora raised her eyebrows with a feigned expression of innocence before wishing her goodnight.

Dozens of scrolls for new recipes were arranged neatly on the table in front of Melina, and she scanned through a couple, too nervous to sleep yet. Almost for reassurance, she mentally recited all of the reasons she wanted to meet Hercules: he was one of the most if not _the _most purely good person she'd ever seen, he cared more about others than he did himself often to the danger of his own well-being he'd been the only thing that gave her hope for the future during those long months locked up, she was more than somewhat attracted to him, and yeah, she was pretty positive she was absolutely insane. Resting her forehead against the arm of the chair, she prayed to whatever god would listen that she didn't act like a psycho the next day. And if they had any lying around or whatever, some wine wouldn't hurt either.

Melina wasn't sure if her anxious mood was sending out bad vibes, but Kora's had been almost empty ever since the breakfast crowd cleared out. They had two small groups for lunch, and dinner had only lured in four or five cadets who Melina vaguely recognized. There was just fifteen minutes until they'd start cleaning for the night, and Melina felt nauseous with false hope. She was chatting up the cook about oregano when she heard voices chanting some sort of song. As they got closer, she could hear, "Over here. Where? Over here. Where? Over there? Yes!" Turning to the front, Melina spotted Kora with her arms crossed, slowly shaking her head. Melina made her way to stand next to her just as Iolaus, Jason, and Hercules jostled each other across the restaurant. By the time they were a few feet away, Iolaus had Hercules in a headlock as Jason stuck his finger in Iolaus' ear.

Kora cleared her throat at a decibel that Ares would have envied. "You boys not learn anything over your break?"

Iolaus chuckled. "Learn anything? Of course not. I spent the last month eating my weight in deer, surrounded by hot babes. Speaking of which," he said, releasing Hercules to smooth down his hair and lean against the counter. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Melina shot out a hand she'd never admit was shaking just a tad. "I'm Melina, the new waitress."

"I'm Iolaus, local expert on everything cool around here." He kissed her knuckles. "So, if you're free tomorrow, it would be my pleasure to show you around."

She made a face of faux surprise. He was acting just like she'd expected after seeing him from above, and it amused her, like meeting a character from a play. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course," he said. He looked genuinely surprised. And she guessed it had something to do with all of those girls who rolled their eyes, ignored him, or tossed drinks in his general direction.

Kora _did_ roll her eyes. "Iolaus, she's teasing you."

"Oh," he said. He cocked his head to the side. "You can think whatever you want, but chicks dig me."

His friends coughed in unison, awkwardly teetering on their feet. Jason seemed to eye Hercules, but Melina was all too pleasantly aware that he was looking at her. Sighing, Jason offered his hand. "I'm Jason."

After Melina greeted him, there was another quiet minute of waiting for someone to make the last of the introductions. Before Melina could stutter out her name, Kora grabbed her by the wrist, did the same to Hercules and clasped their palms together. "Melina, Hercules. Hercules, Melina."

"Nice to meet you," Hercules said.

She smiled, enjoying the warmth from his hand. Without warning, her grip involuntarily tightened and she pulled him closer so his chest was flush against the front of the bar.

Kora appeared ever the delighted matchmaker. She pointed to Melina. "Watch out for this one. She has a thing for demigods."

Melina dropped her hand, turning almost purple as she took a step back.

Jason slung an arm over Hercules' shoulder. "Have you ever dated a perfect son of Zeus?"

Hercules' smiled sheepishly, nudging his friend away. "He's just messing around." He paused, glancing to the floor. "I mean about the perfect thing. But, I am a son of Zeus."

This was usually the place in a conversation where Melina would respond with, and I'm a daughter of Hermes. But, she was in no way ready to get into that. So, she just nodded. Her hearing seemed a little dulled, because she was only vaguely aware of Kora mentioning something about free ribs back in the kitchen. And then it was just her and Hercules.

The two exchanged basic information: where they were from, how long they'd been in the area, and that neither had jumped at the chance at free food because they were supposedly not hungry. His break had been uneventful and she crafted the recounting of her past year to sound the same way.

"I like this band on your arm," she said. She ran a finger over the metal embellishments, enjoying the way he squirmed.

"Thanks. My mom made it for me a while ago. Do you still have family back in Athens?"

Melina drew back, letting her fingers brush his before shaking her head. "My mom actually passed away a year ago."

"What about your dad?"

"He left before I was born. It's basically just me now."

He nodded solemnly. "I've never met my dad either."

Melina wasn't proud that she was playing on his emotions, but it was working so well. She didn't want to stop. "Um, I don't want to sound forward or anything, but I haven't spent much time outside of this place. When you're not studying or stabbing practice dummies, would you want to hang out sometime?"

He motioned a thumb towards himself. "Are you asking me out?"

She leaned forward, touching his arm. "Would that be ok?"

He seemed to blush, opening his mouth when a torpedo of curly hair slammed into his side and partially lifted him over its shoulder. "Come on Herc, if we break curfew, Chiron will make us clean stables for a week," Iolaus said.

Jason followed at a jog. "Did I just hear Iolaus care about rules? Looks like someone's a little jealous." He shot Melina a playful grin.

Melina was frustrated, but expected as much from this group. "Bye!"

Hercules craned his head back, his blond bangs dangling in strands almost to his nose. "I'll come back."

Once the restaurant was quiet again, Melina could hear Kora slowly clapping. "You work fast. I'm impressed." Squaring on a serious set of squinting eyes, Kora said, "But go easy on him."

She felt like she was reliving their conversation from last night. "Why do you keep saying that?"

Kora poked her forearm. "Please, if you'd had another second alone with him, he'd be bound, gagged, and waiting to go home with you."

Melina pretended to pick at something from underneath one of her nails. "Are you saying I'm aggressive?"

Kora snickered. "I don't know if I'd say aggressive. I just know a determined woman when I see one. And that sparkle in your eye," she made a fanning motion, "Could liquefy Pompeii."

Melina threw the bar rag at Kora and laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

Melina couldn't believe the key was jammed. Kora had caught a cold and left Melina to tend to the restaurant for the past four days. Chiron had apparently slammed the cadets with more homework than usual, and she hadn't seen Hercules at all. On top of all of that, the damn key wasn't working.

She kicked the door, frowning when it made no difference to the lock. Before she could bang on the thing again, someone pulled her back.

"Whoa there, I don't think Kora would want to find her door in splinters."

"Hercules," she said. His hands were on her shoulders, and she realized she was staring. "Hi."

"Hi. I can get that for you if you want," he said, pointing behind her. When she nodded, he removed the key with little effort.

"Thanks, Hercules," she said. She slid it in her back pocket. Her wardrobe was pretty limited considering she ran to her new home on foot, or winged feet really. Luckily Kora and Melina were the same size, and she was wearing a pair of Kora's black pants. "Where are your friends?"

"Jason has some sort of prince duties in Corinth and I think Iolaus is making a cheat sheet for our Geography test." He chuckled, awkwardly placing his hands on his hips. Not seeming to like that, he tried leaning on the frame of the door before straightening up and coughing. "Um, are you busy?"

She imitated his pointing motion from before. "Are you asking me out?"

"I just, I mean, I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk or something."

She loved how flustered he was. It was only early evening, the orange glint of pre-dusk guaranteeing them more than enough time for a leisurely stroll. "That sounds like fun."

"Cool," he said with a smile of relief. He hesitated, jerking his head to the left. "Let's go this way."

The two walked at a slow pace past Kora's and on to a small path in the woods. He identified a few species of birds for her, and recounted a funny story about Iolaus being chased by a bear. She told him about the mouse that had briefly lived in Kora's bedroom, and that Kora could scream like a banshee, and she could actually loosen up and joke around a lot when she wasn't at work. That reminded him of the time Jason freaked out about a nonpoisonous snake when they were visiting his palace a few months ago.

The forest started to thin out until they reached a peak overlooking the ocean. Aside from a lone tree, the area was clear and flat before sloping down toward the shore.

"Well," he said. His forehead was creased as he looked around wildly. "This is not where we were supposed to end up. I was going to show you this meadow with a lake, but I think we took a wrong turn."

She stepped past him and let herself fall into the grass. On her back, she patted the ground. "No big deal. It's nice here anyway."

He shrugged, taking his time to squat, sit, and then lie back. "Wow."

"Yeah."

The sky was cloudy, but in between each puff of white, was a sky swimming with different shades of rose and ginger.

"I don't think I've ever seen the sky that exact color before," Hercules said. He inhaled sharply and sighed. "This might sound strange, but do you ever wonder what the sky looks like from Olympus?"

Melina had been lazily plucking weeds, but his question made her drop her collection of dandelions. Twisting her nails in the dirt, she said, "No, not really."

"I guess I just think about Olympus a lot."

She changed the subject to a starry night she spent on a beach in Athens, leaving in everything, even all the wine, howling, and streaking. "I'm not like that anymore though. That was years ago."

He laughed. "Years ago? How old are you?"

She contemplated lying. "I'll be twenty-one in a few weeks. Why? How old are you?" She had a vague notion of his age, but wasn't positive.

"Seventeen. But, you know, who cares, right?"

She sat up, brushing blades of grass from her clothes. "It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you."

Hercules was standing by the time she turned to him. He helped pull her up, and swatted away some hair from his face. "Hey, before I forget, there this festival going on in Corinth on Saturday. Would you want to go with me?"

They'd started on their way back, walking a little faster with the setting of the sun. "Sure. I'll ask Kora if I can have the day off."

Hercules nodded, looking pleased. He told her what Corinth was like, and Jason's palace, and the market. Even though he offered to walk her to Kora's house, she knew it wasn't on his way to the academy, so he settled for saying their goodbyes by the restaurant.

When he angled his body towards her, she was hoping for a kiss. He shook her hand instead. Watching him leave, she decided that needed to change very quickly.

She didn't know how and she wasn't going to question it, but Hercules had enough free time to walk with her every day leading up to the festivities in Corinth. He'd come in for lunch with Iolaus and then come back alone in the afternoon. He talked a lot about school and wanting to meet his dad, while she mocked annoying, rude, or just weird customers and told him about the new dishes Kora was trying out. They climbed the tree from what unofficially became their spot. She sort of helped him fix the lock at Kora's, although she really handed him tools and admired his arms. Kora recovered enough to come back to work and was more than willing to give Melina the afternoon off, winking at Melina as she wiped her still runny nose.

On Saturday she met him at the academy because it was closer to Corinth, and it only took them a little over half an hour to reach the city.

There was music, free shish kabobs, and a magic show that was a little cheesy. They stayed nearly the whole day. Sometime on the walk back, Hercules had used a wayward root jutting up from the ground as an excuse to grab her hand and guide her around it. And they were still holding hands ten minutes later. She'd locked her fingers with his by the time they could make out Kora's in the distance.

"I can't believe you ate five of those chicken skewers," Melina said.

"I was hungry."

"Well, at least I know what to pack for our picnic."

"When did we talk about having a picnic?"

"Now," she said. She nudged his arm, making a funny face. He did the same, and they went back and forth up until he walked her home.

She hung out with him every day after work for the next week, which included playing a game of melon ball with his friends where she basically stood around and pretended like she knew what she was doing, making Hercules give her a tour of the academy, and holding hands so much it was making her borderline crazy that he hadn't tried anything else.

For their picnic lunch, she borrowed a burlap sack from Kora and filled it with the chicken skewers he liked, apples, cheese, bread, and a pouch of water. They spread out a blanket under their tree and took their time eating.

Dabbing a fleck of apple peel from his chin, Hercules peered in the bag to see it empty. "What do you want to do now?" he said.

They were sitting fairly close to each other, but she'd already tried out at least four of her best I'm-tilting my-face-and-looking-at-you-so-you'll-kiss-me moves, and she was really giving up. That binding scenario Kora joked about started sounding like a great idea. But convincing him to do it didn't sound nearly as fun as him making the first move. So instead of tying him up, she settled for taking a hike along a taller peak, hopping rock to rock in a nearby stream, and listening to his frustrations with his group project on Athena.

"If it was up to Iolaus, he'd spend the entire presentation talking about what a drag it would be if we were all born by popping out of our dad's skulls. I told him that would never happen, because everyone would be walking around with a headache all the time," he said. He made a fist by his forehead and fanned out his fingers, laughing the loudest at his own joke.

Melina smiled and set her bag down on Kora's front stoop. "I think Iolaus would be most upset about the whole wooing thing being taken out." Since he was already holding her hand, she let her fingers glide up his arm.

"Right," he said softly. And without any further motivation on her part, he kissed her.

She reached out to pull him closer, but the door shoved her into his chest. Kora scampered out, shrieking.

"Melina, the mouse is back. The mouse is back!"

Melina really wanted to kill Kora. However, trapping the stupid thing between a clay bowl and plate and flinging it into the woods admittedly calmed her down a little. Plus, there's was still her birthday to think about. She did not want a visit from Hermes.


	4. Chapter 4

Melina found it ironic that she and Hercules were basically inseparable for the next few days, but on the day of her birthday she hadn't seen him at all. The restaurant was packed as usual, and a few regulars wished her a happy birthday. Kora let them close early and, in a total out of character decision, took her to a club Kora had heard Cleo rave about. They stopped by the academy to invite the boys. Jason was in Corinth and Iolaus told them he hadn't talked to Hercules since their last class got out. Of course, Iolaus added that he would be thrilled to join them. So, their group became three before meeting up with Cleo at the club.

The place was a little dark, some guy that reminded Melina of Orpheus strummed a lyre with his band on stage, and they all danced. After a few songs, Melina elbowed her way to an empty spot at the bar to see if she could get some water. Cleo was ignoring some blond guy with a goatee and a Puka shell necklace, and seemed to use Melina as an excuse to move down a stool.

"Isn't this place great?" Cleo said. Melina nodded, though she wasn't sure what she was agreeing to. The bartender placed two goblets in front of them, smiling at Melina before tending to a girl snapping her fingers for his attention. "I told him it was your birthday. It's on the house."

Melina examined the inside and gently pushed the cup closer to Cleo. "I don't really drink anymore."

"_You _don't drink anymore?" Cleo was shouting in her face. "I know of a few Bacchae who would flip out if they heard that."

"That's part of the reason I cut back," Melina said. She wasn't surprised that she had mutual friends with Cleo.

"Come on! It's your birthday!" She slid the goblet back to Melina. "I swear, if you start ranting about caves and guys with huge horns on their heads, I'll cut you off."

The familiar fermented smell was getting to Melina. She toyed with the base of the goblet, and took a sip. Three cups later, her cheeks felt heavy on her face while her joints seemed to not even exist anymore.

Cleo was laughing at something Melina said but couldn't remember. Smirking, she lowered her chin. "Tell me, what's it like dating that golden half-god?"

Melina shook her head with such seriousness that Cleo started giggling. Jabbing her index finger out in no particular direction, she said, "I don't even know if we're really dating. He's not here. For all I know, he could have ditched me to go copulate with that Amazon girl."

Cleo sputtered out a spray of dark red liquid. "Hercules slept with an Amazon?"

She bobbled her head in disagreement, cupping her mouth even though she was still yelling over the music. "Between you and me, I think he's still eligible for a few sacrifices, if you know what I mean."

Cleo laughed, holding her chest and bracing herself against the bar. "Seriously? My gods, are you dying? Like seriously, he seems so tight with Iolaus, you might be barking up the wrong tree."

"Did somebody just say my name?" Iolaus said, grinning.

Cleo smacked him on the back and slung her arm over his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind at all. "Hey Iolaus, I've heard some pretty steamy rumors about the academy. What exactly happens in those group baths?"

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, you can't…"

Whatever else he said, Melina wasn't sure because she wasn't listening. The words steamy and baths only reminded her of scenes of Hercules scrubbing himself, toweling off, undressing, all looping in her memory from her months of ogling in Olympus. And even though she was already upset he wasn't there, the sentiment doubled.

Iolaus was waving in front of her face. "Do you want to dance?"

She stumbled to her feet. "That's nice of you, but I kind of want to go home."

"Let me get Kora," he said.

As Melina began to follow Iolaus into the crowd, Cleo yanked her back by her skirt. "You're already leaving? I didn't think you even knew how to go home before dawn?"

Melina gave Cleo a quick hug. "Thanks for having fun with me. It was really cool talking to you."

Cleo waved, wishing her another happy birthday before throwing herself back in the mass of dancing bodies. Melina had only one body in mind and she was confident he would be her next stop. They needed to leave now.

* * *

"I promise, I'll only be in there for a second. I need to go in there," Melina said. She was struggling to reach the front door of the academy, but Kora and Iolaus seemed to dislike this brilliant plan of hers, both of them blocking her path.

Kora held Melina's arm. "Melina, honey, all you need right now is a good night's sleep. You can see Hercules in the morning."

Iolaus nodded. "And if I know Herc, which I do, he's probably asleep. He's the anti-night owl. I'll tell him you were looking for him."

Melina reluctantly consented. She was silent and pretty buzzed as they went back to Kora's and headed to their separate rooms. Lighting a candle on her nightstand, she changed into a loose-fitting shirt and a pair of pants that she cut most of the legs off because she tended to get hot in her sleep. Playing with the wick, she prepared to blow it out when she heard a distinct "Psss" from her window. With a wobbly step, she climbed on her bed to be eye level with the square opening in the wall. It was dark as she leaned forward, and a face popped up. A hand covered her mouth just as she was opening it to scream.

"Shh, it's me," Hercules said. He jostled a little, flinging out both arms for stability, and she realized he was balanced on a stack of chairs. "I'm so sorry that it took me so long to see you today. I went to Corinth right after school, and when I got back you were gone and I waited here." He cautiously bent over to pluck something from the top chair. "Happy birthday."

She was glad she didn't have that fourth glass of wine because his gift was so indirectly hilarious she wanted to laugh. It was a replica of Pan's flute, bright multi-colored material binding the asymmetrical wooden pipes together. It was almost as if he knew the satyr was her half-brother.

"You said you used to play one in Athens, but you lost it."

"Oh, yeah, it's great. Thank you."

A serious of thuds signaled his makeshift stepping stool had toppled over. Lunging forward, he held on to the inside of the ledge so his upper half was partly wedged in the window. With a labored smile, he said, "So, how was your birthday?"

"It's not over," she said. Cupping his elbows, she was able to tug him in up to his waist before belatedly recognizing he was too heavy. She fell back, almost toppling to the floor. Holding on to the blankets, she giggled and reached for him again. "Come inside."

Hercules smiled awkwardly. "I don't want to wake up Kora."

"We'll be quiet."

Even in candle light, she could tell he was blushing. "It'll be easier for me to leave if I go out this way."

As he was talking, she wiggled him close enough to grip the front of his shirt and pull him within nearly eyelash distance from her face. "Hercules, stop being so refined, and climb the rest of the way through this window."

He chuckled. "Ok. Just move over. I don't want to crush you."

Gaining more physical leverage, Melina decided to haul him in herself, not wanting to move at all as he landed on top of her. Happy that he wasn't moving either, she palmed the side of his jaw and kissed him. Slow at first, she opened her mouth wider and she could feel his tongue. His hands were on the mattress while hers were groping his chest until her fingertips found where his shirt tied under each of his arms. She had one side unfastened and was picking her way down the second when she realized the leather was too taut for her to be able to tug it over his head. Pulling away from his lips, she kissed his neck and slid her hands past the hem of his pants. Just as she skimmed his pelvic bone, he grabbed her wrists.

She took a peek at his face to see a look of concern. "What?" she said.

"You taste like a barrel of sour grapes and your eyes are red. I don't think we should do this if you're drunk."

"I'm just a little tipsy."

He nervously licked his lips. "Would you have hauled me through your window if you weren't tipsy?"

She hesitated, exhaling heavily from her nose. "Probably not."

His eyes darted around the room before flitting back to her. "It's just." Groaning, he pulled her hands up, and she let them rest on the bed. He sat up and rubbed his face. "I can't think when you're touching me like that. But, I don't want you to think that I don't want this. Just…maybe we could wait to get to know each other a little better."

She flexed her toe against his knee. "You really are different, aren't you?"

Hercules faintly laughed, moving to stand until she grabbed his leg.

"Hey, while we're on the subject of being different, well, there's something I want to tell you. I don't know why I waited this long. I guess it's just my dad has a pretty bad reputation."

"Your dad?"

She sat up, pressed her lips together and ran her tongue over her teeth. "I'm a daughter of Hermes."

He let out a choked breath, smiling. "You're a demigod? That's great." He wrapped his arms around her. Pulling back to look at her, he said, "I've never met any other of the gods' children. But, don't think I'd ever think badly of you because of Hermes. Zeus isn't perfect either. Have you met your dad?"

She nodded, feeling both insanely relieved and the wine starting to pull at her eyelids. "I haven't been around him much. I was being honest when I said he left me and my mom. But, he usually visits on my birthdays."

"Did you see him today?"

"No. And I know you probably have a ton of questions, but I am exhausted. I know you already gave me a birthday present, but I would be so, so, so grateful if you'd stayed over tonight. I feel like Hermes is going to show up soon if I'm alone, and I don't want to talk to him."

Hercules played with the ends of her hair. "Of course."

Scooting back, Melina lifted the blanket so they could both lie down together. Once he got settled, she snuggled against him.

"Can you take your shirt off? It's like I'm cuddling with a saddle."

Chuckling, he readjusted to remove it, leaving him in a thin grey undershirt that was soft on her cheek. She mumbled goodnight.


End file.
